Summer Overtures and Hesitations
by WordsAndDoodles
Summary: Chapter 5, UP! Enjoying a 7-day vacation at a beach resort should be easy enough.. right? "How come you never kiss your girlfriend?" Tokiya x Fuuko, Kaoru x Ganko, Recca x Yanagi, Domon x OC
1. Messed up vacation?

Authoress' notes: Sorry for being absent for too long. Here's a fanfic for all of you. I originally planned this to be a one-shot, but yes, it will be chaptered. Don't worry though, it won't be on hiatus, or abandoned. I've everything planned out for this one. Haha. So,. Forgive moi? ,

Chapter title: Day 1: Messed up vacation?

Rating: K+

Warnings for this chapter: Nothing much. Maybe a bit of OOC-ness. Ahaha. Oh, and yeah, no one proofread this. P

Number of words: 2 898

Spoilers: I don't think there are any...

Disclaimer: I do not own Flame of Recca, otherwise, I'll already be writing a ToFuu Sequel. :P I do own Natsumi Suzuki, though.

* * *

**DAY 1**

"Aah, this is life!" Hanabishi Recca, the leader of the Hokage, exclaimed in satisfaction whilst lying down on the white sands, his hands outstretched. A silly grin on his face was painted... almost as if he just reached paradise.

"So ne, Recca-kun," the brown-haired girl beside him agreed with a smile. She was seated comfortably right next to Recca as she admired the beautiful view in front of her, watching the waves hit the shore.

Recca then sat upright after a few moments and moved closer to Sakoshita Yanagi. His grin became even wider when he saw Yanagi, leaning her head on his shoulder. 'Hahaha... Time of my life… just my luck!' The raven-haired boy thought silently. Just when he was about to put his arms around the girl...

"Oi, you two, Snack is ready... postpone the mushy moments for later!" Domon shouted, making Yanagi turn her head and stand up, much to Recca's disappointment. If looks could kill, Domon would have died a thousand times already with the look that the flame caster had been giving him.

'Damn Domon... you ruined it!' Recca thought as he followed Yanagi with a very disappointed look.

He wondered why bestfriends could be so meddlesome.

--...--...--

Leaning against the back of the chair, Mikagami Tokiya, who was half bare-chested at that moment (which could have resulted to excessive drooling, unwanted attention, and fainting by his fangirls if they had seen him), since his Polo was unbuttoned, continued to read the book entitled, "Emma".

That very moment, he was almost sure that it was a good idea after all -- him, coming with the others for a vacation, that is. Of course, he had no choice, since the one who invited him was Yanagi, who sported out the best puppy dog look she could give. He was almost sure that it would be a relaxing vacation...

"Yo, Mi-chan!" A voice, which Mikagami knew oh-so-well, said. Alright, he takes it back, maybe he spoke too soon. Tokiya snorted in displeasure.

"What do you want?"

Fuuko pouted and feigned hurt. "Ow, that hurts, Mi-chan... I thought you love me!"

Mikagami rolled his eyes and just continued to read. LOVE was such a strong word, that he'd rather not comment on what she said. He had a serious look on his face.

"Eh, I was only kidding Mi-chan!" Kirisawa Fuuko told him as she sat down on the empty chair beside him.

"Thanks for telling, captain obvious," the silver-haired bishounen muttered under his breath.

Fuuko leaned towards him and looked at what her companion was reading before looking at him, her face inches from him. "Mou, Mi-chan, what are you reading?"

"Kirisawa, pull your face away from me," Mikagami muttered, his face void of any emotions.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd think you want to kiss me,' He thought.

Fuuko laughed and pulled her face away from _Mi-chan_ and leaned on her chair. "Hey, don't think that I want to kiss you, because I don't," the purple-haired girl said and stuck out her tongue. It was as if she had read his thoughts. Aah, lies...

"It's 'Emma'," Mikagami simply mumbled, his voice was soft, but was enough for her to hear.

The fuujin-wielder rested her head on her right hand, her arm was supported by the arm rest of the chair, as if she was thinking. Well, she was, actually. "That's one of Jane Austen's novels, right? Hmm... not a surprise that you would read that."

Tokiya looked up. He was actually quite taken aback that she knows something about the book. He smirked, nodded and then continued to read. "Surprised?" The girl asked, facing him with a grin on her face.

Mikagami tore his gaze from the book to look at her again. "Not so."

"There you are! You two, come on, snack time," Kagerou said, without really looking at them. Seconds after, she lifted her head and turned towards them.

"Err, bad timing?" She added the moment she looked at them.

"Aah, Kagerou-san, no. Mi-chan and I was just talking," Fuuko said, waving her hands in front of her, motioning Recca's mother to dismiss the thought. Whatever Kagerou was thinking, she was quite sure that it involves _their_ friendship.

Mikagami nodded at what Fuuko said and stood up. He'd rather not be involved in any issues and gossips.

He wasn't really a fan of showbiz news anyway.

--...--...--

The rest of the day went by just fine. That was until Recca told the others to gather 'round...

They were seated on the sands, making a circle. The order was:

Recca-Yanagi-Domon-Ganko-Fuuko-Kaoru-Tokiya

"So, Recca-niichan, what's this about?" Koganei Kaoru asked, showing his fangs as he smiled.

All heads turned to him, each has an eager smile on their face… well, all, except for Mikagami of course. Well, what do you expect from Mr. Pretty boy?

"Well, I'm really bored, and I guess our vacation needs a little more spicing up," Recca replied with a mischievous grin.

Tokiya's eyebrow twitched. He didn't really like what he was feeling right now. Something about Recca's plans, whatever it is, makes him feel uneasy. He closed his eyes and dismissed all that he was feeling. He shifted on his seat and just listened on.

On the other hand, Kirisawa Fuuko noticed Tokiya's sudden change of aura. She blinked, once, twice, thrice. He looks as if he could almost fidget in his place anytime. She almost laughed but resisted the urge.

The others? Well... Recca's speech was getting longer each second. And they were starting to get pissed of. The raven-haired lad was really beating around the bush... and they were starting to hate it... even Yanagi was getting pissed.

On the other hand, Kagerou and Shigeo, the two of whom Recca disclosed the matter beforehand, refused to join the teens. They reasoned that they were too old for those kinds of games and that they would just prepare dinner. They promised, though, that they would watch them and see if they were all doing their 'tasks', just to make sure that there would be no cheating. Let's just say, it's part of Kagerou's power to be able to spy on each of them.

"…so, I came up with something," Recca stated.

A few moments of silence.

"…unless anyone would come up with a better—"

"JUST SAY IT!" Everyone (except Mikagami, who fought the urge not to shout as well.) exclaimed in extreme annoyance, cutting Recca off.

The flame caster was taken aback and laughed nervously. "Hehe, alright, alright… You didn't need to become so..." He trailed, but he saw Yanagi's annoyed face, even though the healer did try hard to conceal it.

"Err, anyway... let's dare each other. The dares should last for the rest of our stay here, except the day where we would already depart... and so, the dares should be decided by the whole group, except for the one who is being dared."

The intention was clear enough... Recca also added that anyone who would fail to do the task would face many a great consequences... like dancing in front of many people while wearing the opposite gender's clothes, but that's just an example.

"Count me out. I don't have time for such silly games," Mikagami, who had already stood up, said. He was about to walk away from the group when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Mi-chan, come on, just this once, please?"

"No."

Recca smirked, he knew Mikagami would instantly refuse the moment he discovered what the game would be. So, he said, "What happened? Got scared?"

That hit it. Of course he wasn't, was he? Okay, maybe he is... but not afraid like a mouse for a cat. No, not that. He was afraid that his dear and clean reputation would be messed up. But gah, his ego would never admit that. "Of course... not."

With that, he sighed and sat back down.

All smiled and they started to decide the dare each of them would be doing for the rest of their vacation.

Domon's dare was quite easy to decide. He needed to find a girl (well, aside from Fuuko) that would willingly spend time with him for the rest of the week. Of course, that's not all that there is to it... He should find one in that day so that he could spend the remaining days with the girl. The girl should not know about the dare... (until the 6th day, when he should tell her already) and should not leave him in mid-air, for that would result in failure.

Kaoru, who had grown into a fine young man and was currently in his first year in College, was not an exception. His task was to show his feelings to the girl he loves... and by the end of the week, should confess his love to the girl. Easy enough? No! Ganko would be the one to tell him the things he should do... and he would do that, in front of them all.

"But, the girl is not here, is she?" Ganko asked with an inquisitive look. The blonde had already matured, and proved to be a very beautiful teen.

"Aah, trust me, she's somewhere here in the resort. In fact, I've already seen her here," Fuuko answered and gave everyone a wink.

"Eh? You knew that she'll be here? Am I the only one who doesn't know who this girl is?" Ganko pressed, apparently annoyed.

"No, Ganko-chan. I don't know about that too," Domon, who had been quiet, interjected. Well, he was telling the truth. He and Ganko were the only two people oblivious to that. It's either they were too daft, or they weren't really paying attention.

"But you'll know soon enough... I think," Kaoru mumbled softly, not planning to let them hear. But gah, who said the blonde-haired teen, was deaf?

"Enough about that. Let's decide hime's dare," Recca told them whilst looking at his princess, who had a nervous look on her face. The raven-haired boy patted her on the back and encouraged her.

Yanagi, who had been the kindest and nicest of them, was dared to become quite sardonic and sarcastic... and to quote Fuuko, "You know, like Mi-chan." Mikagami glared at Fuuko, who just batted her eyelashes and chuckled.

Recca sweatdropped. Imagine his princess being like that. Just the thought gave him chills. Ah, maybe that wasn't really a good idea, but what the heck?! He could not turn back anymore..

Ganko, aside from giving Kaoru instructions, needed to follow Kaoru everywhere (well, except when it's already bed time or when in the bathroom). When asked why that was her task, they reasoned that she would be the one to check if he was doing his dare. "You would thank us after this," Recca, who had a mischievous grin on his face, voiced.

"...and besides, that's the easiest task," Mikagami added, to everyone's surprise.

"Man, we're running out of ideas here," Domon started, after a few moments of silence.

"Not really, we've already thought of something for Fuuko and Mikagami," the Kougan-anki master said, showing his fangs as he gave them a toothy grin. He then, gave Recca and Ganko a knowing look.

Mikagami's hunch was right. They were planning something. Now he was starting to feel uneasy. Same is thru with the Fuujin-wielder.

"The dare's easy enough. Just pretend to be a couple," Recca said nonchalantly, as if saying that this wasn't planned beforehand.

Domon's head shot up. "What?! You're gonna pair Fuuko-sama with that... that Ice bloke?! Are you outta your mind??" He exclaimed, his face, already red in anger.

It took a few moments before it all registered to Fuuko's head. Recca already had his earmuffs on, waiting for Fuuko to let it all out, or maybe even kick him to oblivion... but it never happened. Instead, Fuuko remained silent, her head hanging low.

"Who are you playing with, Hanabishi?" Tokiya, in his usual icy voice, muttered.

"I'm not playing with anyone. A dare's just a dare."

Tokiya gritted his teeth, restraining himself from strangling Recca to death. "Alright, fine," he finally said. Fuuko looked up, apparently shocked, but just nodded her head in agreement. Afterall, it was just a dare, wasn't it?

Recca grinned. Kaoru and Ganko was trying hard to restrain Domon from attacking the flame caster.

"That's enough, Domon," Fuuko finally talked, returning to her normal said. She had a cheeky grin on her face.

"Dear Mi-chan and moi won't take it seriously."

With that, Domon quieted, but not before taking a look at Tokiya, who just raised his eyebrow at the big guy.

"Your dare would be to not be with Sakoshita for the rest of our stay," Mikagami plainly said, looking at the surprised and taken aback Recca in the eye. Haha, revenge, revenge.

"What?!" The raven-haired yelled in frustration.

"A dare's just a dare," Tokiya replied nonchalantly, using the flame caster's own words.

Domon, Fuuko, and Kaoru nodded their heads. "Revenge is sweet, Hanabishi," Domon commented with an evil laugh... as he was still slightly fuming at Hokage leader's idea to pair _his_ Fuuko with the popular, but quite obnoxious, pretty boy.

The youngest, blonde haired just laughed at Recca's dumbfounded and defeated face. Of course, the man couldn't say 'no'. After all, the game was his idea. "Ne, ne, Recca-niichan, it's only temporary, no worries," said Ganko sweetly and winked at the other three.

Recca was sure that instead of him having an even more exciting vacation, it will dwindle down and will become, and he was quite certain of this, more boring.

Yanagi, on the other hand, almost felt the same way as Recca... just only less disappointed. She sighed and forced a smile on her face. "That's right, Recca-kun. Better just agree, it was your idea."

As the decisions were already done, Kaoru already stood up, preparing to go back to the flat they rented for their stay. Ganko followed his suit, as her dare was, to follow him everywhere. Mikagami stood up too, and was about to leave, when Recca interrupted, "How about walking with your _girlfriend_?"

Fuuko's eyes widened as she felt her hand being taken by another. Her fingers suddenly intertwined with the other. She felt heat slowly creep to her face.

Mikagami looked at her and rolled his eyes. If it wasn't for the threat of him, being thought of as a scared cat, he wouldn't do this.

'Curse you, Recca,' the silver-haired bishounen thought angrily. Man, he swore he'll make the flame caster pay.

Well, Recca won't be entirely happy as well, anyway.

--...--...--

"Say, Kaoru, who's the not-so-lucky girl?" Morikawa, Ganko, asked nonchalantly, trying not to show any interest on the subject. But really, she's dying to know who this lady was.

Kaoru turned his head slowly and laughed nervously. He coughed before questioning her, "Why do you want to know?"

Ganko raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Just because... well just because. Well, if you don't wanna tell, that's fine with me."

The Kougan anki master just grinned. "Well, you'll know soon enough."

The blonde girl just nodded.

"So, what's the plan? How do I show her... err... my feelings?" Kaoru added and looked at Ganko. How was he supposed to do the dare? She will know everything that he'll do already. He silently prayed that he would find the courage to tell her... or risk his very own reputation by facing the consequences that he'll face come failure.

"Well, first, describe the girl. How does she look like, what her attitude is like, how does she act... everything that you know about her."

Kaoru gulped, but answered anyway, "Well, she's really beautiful. She's just quite shorter than me. She has blue eyes... She also has a blonde hair, like _you._"

"U-huh… what else," Ganko asked, looking away.

Kaoru thought he saw a hint of sadness on Ganko's face but chose to ignore it. "Well, she can be quite sardonic and ill-tempered at times. Hmmm... she even smacks me with any object she can put her hands on at times... When she's pissed, she'll just tromp away. She can be a pain sometimes but..." Kaoru paused.

The young blonde shrugged and commented, "Sounds like some jerk to me..."

Kaoru laughed, "You think so? But anyway, she has her reasons. I usually tease her, that's why. Maybe she gets fed up sometimes so... yeah. Practically my fault."

"But really, she's nice, kind, and caring. She seems very vulnerable but she's strong... and she's really cute when she pouts," Koganei continued afterwards.

He paused and looked at the girl beside him. He frowned when he saw her just staring at space. He stood up and walked towards the fridge across them. The young teen took out two cans of soda and proceeded his way back.

"Here... you're starting to scare me. You won't win if you're putting up a staring competition with the table. The table always wins," He said with a grin as he handed Ganko one can of Pepsi.

"Sorry..." She replied with a smile before opening the can. The girl then, proceeded to drink.

"Her interests?" Ganko pushed.

"Well, she likes music.--" Kaoru started, but was cut off.

"Aah, I know…!" The girl exclaimed.

And he felt that the turtles would be flying soon.

* * *

Authoress' Notes: Honestly now, how was it? I think there are a few typos here and there, so forgive moi.. I'll edit it soon. Not much ToFuu in here yet.. Ahaha.. P

c",) Reviews make my day. Flames will be laughed at. Constructive criticisms are always welcome. c",)


	2. Get used to it!

Authoress' notes: Thanks to those who reviewed. Here's chapter two. )

Chapter title: Day 2: Get used to it!

Rating: K+

Warnings for this chapter: No one still proofread this. And yes, a bit of OOC-ness here and there.

Number of words: 2 259

Spoilers: I don't think there are any...

Disclaimer: I do not own Flame of Recca, otherwise, I'll already be writing a ToFuu Sequel. :P I do own Natsumi Suzuki, though.

* * *

**DAY 2**

Next day started with not much of a hassle... if you count Domon's situation out, that is.

"Say, miss, can I have your name?" Domon asked as he ran his hand through his hair with much air. But that actually did not help in increasing his… _charm._

"Why, don't you have one already?!" The girl replied sarcastically, before walking away.

Domon blinked, that was the 5th time this day that he was turned down. The big guy scratched his head and proceeded to the next girl he saw. He took a deep breath before talking. "How did you get to be so beautiful?" He asked coolly while sporting out the most charming look he could muster.

The girl raised her brows and replied with much wit, "I may have prolly been given your share," the girl simply said with an equally charming face, before tromping off.

"Hey, am I really ugly?" Domon whispered as he examined his face with his hands. He set the thought aside and looked around, trying to find some other girl he could ask.

He grinned when he saw a lone girl near the shore. He walked towards her and sat down beside her. "How is it going?"

The girl stared at him. Domon's grin widened.

"Honey, someone's bugging me!"

A bigger guy entered the scene and looked at Domon, eyeing him from head to toe before looking at his girl. "Is this the one, dear?"

The girl nodded.

Domon gulped and hastily stood up. He mumbled a few apologies before running away for the sake of his life.

A few moments after, Ishijima Domon heaved a defeated sigh and sat down on the big rock by the shore. Not many people were there so he figured that it would be a nice place to think. He covered his face with his hands and started to think about the consequences that awaits him...

"Excuse me, sir, you seemed to be very bothered. Maybe I could help."

...or maybe not.

The consequences could wait.

--...--...--

Recca approached a light brown-haired girl and greeted, "Good morning, hime! How's sleep?"

"Good morning yourself. Are you trying to have a small talk?" the usually nice girl, replied, rather coldly.

The flame-caster was taken aback by the sudden harshness of his princess. It took almost all his strength not to keep his mouth hanging open.

"Have you forgotten, son?" A new voice came in.

"Okaa-san!" Recca exclaimed.

"Your dares?"

"Oh... yeah... that," the raven-haired teen mumbled dryly as he suddenly remembered the very disappointing task he and his princess had to do.

"You better do what you should do. You don't really wanna do something worse than that, do you?" his mother warned. And there he thought it was a good idea to give her mom the job to make sure that everyone's doing there share.

Recca sighed and nodded, taking a longing look at his princess before walking away.

'Man, hime sure is a great actress.'

Why were the fates so cruel?

--...--...--

Six guys smirked and licked their lips in a not-so-pleasant-to-see way. "Dude, just our luck..." One of the goons said as he eyed a certain purple-haired from head to toe.

"Watch your tongue," Fuuko hissed. Why, oh, why does she always seem to encounter perverts? They soooo remind him of Fujimaru.

"Why, you gonna punish us for being naughty boys?" Another from the group mocked before laughing along with the others.

The Fuujin-wielder glared at them, but they weren't intimidated by it at all. Instead, they started to walk slowly towards her with a mocking smirk on their faces.

"Back off!" A voice joined in.

Locks of greyish silver appeared before their very eyes. The newcomer stepped in front of Fuuko with a serious look on his face. Fuuko raised a brow.

"Who are you? Mind your own business if you don't wanna get hurt," remarked the biggest guy in the group.

"I'm her..." Mikagami hesitated for a moment but if he really wanted to dispose these guys without fighting he should use the right word.

"...boyfriend," Tokiya finished, his lips curved into a position that said he meant serious business.

Instead of being afraid though, they just laughed at him. Fuuko gritted her teeth. Who did those guys think they were?

Instantly, they lunged themselves at Tokiya, he easily dodged all their attacks but missed one. After that, he decided that he would not be Mr. Nice guy anymore. He attacked them and a few seconds after, the 5 goons were already in the floor, coughing blood.

"You," Mikagami hissed, his cold eyes moved from one person to another.

"All of you... better not mess with me, and my... _girlfriend_," he said coolly before taking Fuuko's hand and walking away. The latter, surprised at Mikagami's actions, blinked a few times.

When they had already made quite a distance, Tokiya let go of her hand which made Fuuko stop. He continued to walk, not bothering to say a word. The purple haired grinned, before catching up on Mikagami.

"I could've taken care of them, you know?"

Tokiya rolled his eyes.

"Demo.. Mi-chan... Arigatou, ne?"

Mikagami stopped and raised a hand in acknowledgement. He turned around and looked at her. "Dare, Kirisawa, dare," he simply said and resumed to walking, but not before Fuuko saw the bruise on his face.

"Oi, Mi-chan, we better go back to the others and take care of that bruise. You don't want your fangirls screaming and pouring all their attention on you when they see that," the purple haired commented and took his hand with hers, pulling him along the way.

Before he could utter a word, she repeated what he pressed earlier, "Dare, my dear Mi-chan... dare."

Using his own words at him was like winning at the UBS a million times.

--...--...--

"Aaah, so you just want some company for the whole week, since all of your friends has their 'pair'," the red haired girl said in understanding, her amethyst eyes glimmered as the moon's light reflected in them.

They had been talking for a while now, and Domon made up an excuse as to why he was down. After all, he could not tell the truth... and she seems to believe the excuse anyway.

"Yes, that's right, Suzuki-san. I don't really want to feel alone and left out for the rest of the week," voiced Domon, a hopeful look on his face.

The girl looked at him with a smile. "Please, just call me Natsumi. Well... I won't be doing anything for the rest of our stay here with my cousins, so if you like, I could accompany you."

Domon grinned. Hah! Found her! The day wasn't as bad as he thought, after all.

She was worth a million.

--...--...--

"I'm tired," Kaoru said. He had been having a bit of trouble in doing what Ganko wants him to do. I mean, come on, he had never done this before… much less do it for a girl.

"Are you sure I should do this?"

"Positive," Ganko replied.

"Really?"

"Yes! Now let's start again," The blonde said, crossing her arms.

"Hmmm…" Kaoru mumbled. He's really not comfortable with the idea.

"Come on, you're not doing this for nothing."

"I won't be able to say her name anyway. I'm not gonna say that I'm doing this for her… so what's the point?"

Ganko raised an eyebrow and stared at the fang boy. He had a point, actually. "Well, if you're not going to do this, then what's the point of Recca-niichan's dare? At the 6th day, you'd tell her straight how you feel, and if you weren't able to show it first, then not only would she doubt your feelings but you'd also suffer the consequences. Come on, if you do this, Recca-niichan and the others would see it."

Koganei sighed. 'Does that mean that Ganko, herself, doubts the boys that confess their feelings to her in a straightforward manner?'

'But now that she mentioned it, Recca did say that I should be able to show it.'

"Are you sure I could pull this off?"

The blonde girl looked at him and smiled. "I trust you, nii-chan."

The boy blinked. "Nii-chan..? Are we still in the 'nii-chan' basis? Just Kaoru would be enough."

"Hai, hai… but enough about that. Let's start this again, Kaoru-kun."

Kaoru grinned. He knew he could never go wrong about this.

Practice makes perfect anyway, right?

--…--...--

Recca started to walk away from the dining room when he saw Tokiya and Fuuko holding hands. Well, not really holding hands, they settled with just their pinky fingers hooked. The flame caster smirked and walked towards the said 'couple' with a silly grin on his goofy face.

"So... how's day one with dear Fuu-chan, Mikagami?" asked the flame caster, trying to suppress a laugh. But boy, do they look good together! He could almost see the look on Mikagami's fangirls when they see the undeniably stunning couple in front of him.

"Watch your tongue," Mikagami said coolly.

The purple-haired laughed. That was her words earlier. "Don't mind Mi-chan, Recca. He's just a little out of it. He showed the goons who wanted to take advantage of Fuu-chan who's boss," Fuuko said sweetly and proudly, then winked at Tokiya, who just rolled his eyes in return.

"Ah, quite the possessive type, eh, Mikagami?" Recca addressed with a playful smile, before adding, "Well, I better go. I don't want to spoil the fun between you two."

Before leaving, he leaned towards Fuuko and whispered, "Careful now, Fuuko," Without further ado, he swiftly left the room.

The wind-child watched as he sped out, with a confused look on her face. She had no idea what he meant by those words. She shrugged and looked at Mikagami, "Come, let's take care of that thing on your face."

"I could take care of it on my own," he replied.

"Let your girl handle that for you," came the answer of the purple-haired.

Tokiya snorted in displeasure as they walked towards the area near the dining room. Fuuko let go of his hand and opened the cabinet. She took out some medicine and cotton. "Sit down there," she commanded, pointing at the chair near them.

He sighed and shook his head, before sitting down. If he didn't know Fuuko, he would've thought already that she was actually enjoying this and was taking it all seriously. But of course, Fuuko is Fuuko, and she doesn't have any interest of some sort in him, right?

"Now, be a good child and just sit quietly, alright?", and with that, Fuuko started to tend on his small bruise.

She leaned closer to him and dabbed the cotton on his lower-left lip. Tokiya flinched. The fuujin-wielder smiled at this.

Mikagami did not feel comfortable. No one had been this close to him ever since that fateful night. He looked at Fuuko and noticed her nice and soft features. Now, he was wondering why he always called her monkey... when her looks wasn't anywhere near one.

"Don't move," She said and looked up, only to see him looking back at her. Baby blue met deep blue. Fuuko found herself entranced. She could not tear her gaze from him.

Tokiya's eyes were almost soft. The purple haired girl could almost feel her stomach do a somersault.

It took almost all of Mikagami's strength to break the trance. He cleared his throat and stood up. "I think it's enough," he finally said.

Fuuko looked away. "Uh... yeah, I think so too." Standing up, she cleared the table and threw the used cotton before putting the rest back to the cabinet.

"Well, I'll go outside. I'd like some fresh air," She stated hurriedly before turning on her heels and walking away.

'What just happened, Mikagami Tokiya? Are you now interested in putting up staring competitions with Kirisawa?' Tokiya thought and mentally kicked himself.

--...--...--

Yanagi sighed. It was taking all her courage and strength to put up with her task. It's just wasn't her thing, she, being cold and everything, that is. She felt obliged to make it up to them all after this. She knew that it was just a dare, but it was making her feel guilty.

"Miss, if it's not much of a bother, could you please hand us the ball near you?"

Turning around, Sakoshita scowled. Now, that was certainly a sight. Since when did the nice and warm Yanagi started to scowl?

"Go get it yourself." with that, the brown-haired girl started to walk away.

Being rude was sooooo not her.

--...--...--

"I should go back to my cousins now. It's dark already. They must be looking for me already," Suzuki Natsumi said with a small smile.

"Aah, would you like me to accompany you in going back?" Domon offered with a goofy grin. Man, this girl really got his attention. He was triumphant on getting through the first stage of his objective... Yay for that! Also, he got himself a new prospect... double yay!

"No, I'd be fine. You should get going too. I'm sure your friends are getting worried already. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay then. See ya! Be careful!" The big guy said rather loudly and gave her the peace sign.

The girl nodded and gave his hand a squeeze before heading towards the opposite direction.

"Haha, Recca, +100 points for me!" Domon mumbled under his breath. Humming cheerfully, Domon took big strides to home.

An all giddy Gorilla? Not a nice sight.

* * *

Authoress' Notes: This chapter was kinda hard for me to make. I have the ideas, I just don't know how to phrase them. Ahaha. So… how's it?

c",) Reviews make my day. Flames will be laughed at. Constructive criticisms are always welcome. c",)


	3. Sing for me

DAY 3

Authoress' notes: It took me quite long to update. I've been busy with completing the requirements for college. Anyway, I had a hard time writing this chapter. I had the ideas, I just can't seem to write them. Hehe. For those who know the song, yeah.. I know.. old song. But it fits. :P

Chapter title: Day 3: Sing for me.

Rating: K+

Warnings: OOC-ness. And again, no one proofread this.

Number of words: 3 864

Spoilers: I don't think there are any...

Disclaimer: I do not own Flame of Recca, otherwise, I'll already be writing a ToFuu Sequel. :P The song '214' is by Rivermaya. I do own Natsumi Suzuki, though.

* * *

**DAY 3**

How about summarizing things? Yes? Good.

Yanagi had been getting used to the attitude she was portraying. She felt less guilty today than yesterday. The girl was being a very good actress, she just silently hoped that she won't get 'that' used to it that she might forget that she's a really nice girl.

Recca had been coping up with his situation. He found other ways to amuse himself other than being with his princess... like, putting pointy objects on the chair of the sardonic owner of the bar in the beach, spiking the drink of the minors (and being chased by the parents), and many, many more pranks which he managed to pull off rather successfully.

Domon spent almost the entire day with Natsumi. He did not mind Fuuko being with Mikagami that much anymore, as his attention was caught by the red-head.

Ganko and Koganei, on the other hand, had been really, really busy. Well, busy in the sense that the former's been trying to calm down the latter. Why he was nervous, the others didn't really know.. Nor could they actually care less.

As for Mikagami and Fuuko? Well, let's not include them in this summary, okay?

--…--

"Oh come on, Mi-chan. Stop reading that darned book and let's just go outside."

For the last ten minutes, Fuuko had been bugging Mikagami to go outside and get some air. She had been reasoning out that the _darned_ vacation was not for reading _darned_ books and that they did not rent the _darned_ flat to become his library.

"Kiri—"

Kagerou passed by the living room and gave the two of them a smile before heading out. Mikagami coughed before continuing, "Fuuko, will you please stop using the word 'darn' in every sentence? It's giving me a headache."

"But that's beside the point. Come on, let's head out."

"Why don't you just go out yourself?"

"Because..!" She exclaimed. Why was she trying to persuade him anyway?

"…Well, it isn't really fun going out by myself. Yanagi's as cold as you are, if not much colder. Ganko and Kaoru had been busy since yesterday. Recca's pulling off pranks at everyone and Domon's been spending every darned minute with Natsumi," the fuujin-wielder reasoned out. Those were true anyway. Everyone's doing their own thing right now.

Tokiya sighed. He closed the book and looked at Fuuko. "Aren't you jealous of Suzuki-san? She's Domon's center of attention now."

Fuuko laughed at his statement before answering, "Nah. That's just plain ridiculous. Domon's one of by best buddies. And that is all. If anything, I'm happy for him. Seriously though, Mi-chan, you really thought I'd be jealous?" The girl laughed again and sat down beside Tokiya.

Mikagami shrugged. He closed his eyes and twisted his head from side to side. He had been reading for 2 hours already before Fuuko came to disturb him. "Not really. Who knows, maybe you like gorillas better than humans."

Fuuko grinned. "Oooh, could it be that dear Mi-chan just want assurance that I'm not gonna pick Domon over him?" The girl teased. She likes the way he scowls whenever she teases him like that. But he didn't.

"Like he's any competition, if ever," Tokiya retorted, rolling his eyes.

His companion raised an eyebrow. Oh, this man… this man was just soooo full of himself. "Maybe not, but Akihiko-kun is," Fuuko replied before sticking her tongue out.

Mikagami turned to face her.

"Minami Akihiko?"

"Yup. Remember him? I bumped into him a few weeks back. Heard that he's quite popular too," supplied the girl with a grin on her face.

That Akihiko? He remembered him alright. The _bastard_ who _accidentally_ bumped into the monkey on his way home? The _bastard_ who thought it would be nice to walk Fuuko home saying that he would pass by her home anyway? The _bastard_ who's always second to him in class? Competition? No way! Not that he cared though.

"Yeah."

"I already told you, right? He walked me home twice."

Wait. Twice? He thought it only happened once! "Twice?"

Fuuko nodded her head. She sported a dreamy look on her face, making her companion think that she was happily daydreaming about the _bastard._ Tokiya opened his mouth to talk, but closed it again. He fought the urge to ask if she actually admired Minami Akihiko. He shook his head.

"You're starting to scare me, actually," Tokiya supplied as he raised an eyebrow. Well, in his point of view, she was starting to look like some of his fan girls, with that look on her face.

The fuujin-wielder finally erased the dreamy look she wore. She blinked. Bah! And here she thought he would actually get jealous… well, not actually jealous, but she thought he'd actually get curious. "Uhuh, and why is that?"

"I'm starting to think you've become some giddy fan girl daydreaming about some prince charming who'd sweep you off your feet," He stopped for a moment. Fuuko continued to stare at him.

"What I'm actually saying is, you look like a scary idiot."

Fuuko fought the urge to punch him right then and there. "That's the difference between you two. He's MUCH kinder and warmer," the wind-child retorted, looking at him straight in the eyes.

'_Come on, Tokiya! It won't kill you to ask her if she likes him. Just feed your curiosity_,' the voice inside him insisted. But he wouldn't allow it. Of course he won't. He wouldn't give Fuuko the bliss in seeing him actually become curious about her love life. No way in hell.

"Then, I think he's gay for being too kind and warm," He stated, smirking as he leaned his head an inch closer, staring straight back.

Fuuko's eyebrow twitched dangerously. "What? Now you call male people 'gay' for being warm and kind? Maybe you are the one who's actually a homo. You've never had a girlfriend before! And at least, Akihiko is much more likeable than you!" She clenched her fist. No way will she back down on a staring competition.

Much more likeable than him? Does that mean that she really likes him? _'Don't assume things, Mikagami. Just ask her if you want to be sure." _Darn it. That voice in his head weren't making things easier for him. 'Oh, shut up!'

"Explains why I have a greater number of fan girls than him… And how can you be so sure that I never had a girlfriend before?!" He asked and raised his voice a little louder, raising an eyebrow.

Silence.

They didn't notice it that time, but their faces were awfully close to each other already that an outsider would not think that they were actually arguing if seen in that position. And unfortunately, Recca entered the room at the worst time.

Recca blinked. It took a while before the image formed and registered on his head. He broke into a smirk. Mikagami and Fuuko noticed his presence and realized the position they were in. They suddenly widened the gap, looking away from each other.

"I-It's not w-what it seemed, Recca," The only girl in the room said, her face flushed.

Mikagami, on the other hand, stayed quiet.

The Hokage leader just laughed and walked away, but not before saying, "You don't have to explain anything, Fuuko."

"But—!" Before she could say anything else, he was gone already. She sighed and leaned on the sofa.

Silence.

Both of them shifted on their seats uncomfortably.

More silence.

Fuuko tucked stray locks of hair behind her ear. Mikagami closed his eyes

"Uhmm.. I'll go ahead and get some fresh air."

Shigeo walked in and looked at the both of them before passing by them.

"Hmm.. I think I'll stay a bit more here."

She walked away, and he followed her with his eyes.

--…--

Day quickly became night and the Hokage, along with Kagerou and Shigeo, all gathered in the flat.

Kaoru buried his face on his hands. He really didn't like Ganko's idea, but couldn't protest. The dreaded night came. All day yesterday, all he did was practice the song that he'd sing for the competition later.

"Tee Hee... You can do it Kaoru-kun! Don't fret, you still have 2 hours to prepare for the big night!" Ganko said, a hint of mischief was obvious on her twinkling eyes.

"Ganko's right, I'm sure your girl would be pleased with what you're gonna do," Fuuko added in encouragement. Hey, the lad doesn't have a bad voice, so he'll do alright... unless he has stage fright. It was just a few hours before when Ganko told the others about their plans.

2 hours passed quickly, and soon enough, it was time for the fang boy to perform.

Where were tragedies when you need them?

--...--

Kaoru took a deep breath. He was there already, so he better make the most of it. "Before I sing the song, I would like to dedicate this song to a lady. She might not realize it, but she's special to me. For you, I sing," The young lad said with all courage.

In the audience:

Recca sweatdropped. His hime was really doing a great job on her act. If he didn't know her, he might have already thought that she was just some cold girl and a snob.

Tokiya and Fuuko stood beside each other and didn't say anything, although Fuuko chuckled softly at Sakoshita's well portrayal.

Domon on the other hand, was too busy with Natsumi, whom he invited to come to see the show. He introduced her to the others the day before, and they all welcomed her eagerly.

Ganko stood quietly. She felt a tingling sensation somewhere in her heart. Why that happened, she didn't know, but it was not exactly a bad feeling to have, was it?

On the stage:

Music started playing and Kaoru cleared his throat, holding the microphone carefully with his left hand, waiting for the cue note. He changed his plans a little, he changed the song... he was supposed to sing 'True' but decided against it. He did not practice the new song, actually, but he hoped it would come out right.

_Am I real?  
__Do the words I speak before you  
__Make you feel  
__That the love  
__I have for you will see no ending?_

Kaoru closed his eyes. He heard the song years ago, and became a favorite of his since then. It was from a foreign group. Even so, it was fine to him... didn't matter to him, as long as the song's good. He thought it was perfect for the girl.

_Well if you look into my eyes  
__Then you should know  
__That you have nothing here to doubt  
__Nothing to fear  
__You can lay your questions down  
_'_Cause if you'll hold me  
__We could fade into the night  
__And you'll know._

Kaoru opened his eyes, revealing golden brown orbs. He turned his heads towards the Hokage, who were looking intently at him. Then he shifted his attention to Ganko, wanting to know what she thought of him, changing the song. She didn't seem to be too bothered by it. He smiled.

_The world could die  
__And everything may lie  
__Still you shan't cry  
_'_Cause time may pass  
__But longer than it'll last  
__I'll be by your side._

He shifted his gaze to the whole crowd as he sang the chorus, who got their hands up in the air and started to sway them along with the music. They seemed to be enjoying his little performance.

_Take my hand  
__And gently close your eyes  
__So you could understand  
__That there's no greater love tonight  
__Than what I've for you  
__Well if you feel the same for me  
__Then let go_

The dark brown haired teen stretched his other hand out and closed his eyes again, feeling the music and pouring his heart out. He quietly wished that the girl would take his hand right now... 'Kami-sama, help me.'

_We can journey to a garden no one knows  
__Life is short my darling  
__Tell me that you love  
__So we can fade into the night  
__And you'll know_

Kaoru was doing great. He opened his eyes and soon after, he repeated the chorus part of the song again, with the additional lyrics, "Forever by your side". Then came the short instrumental.

At the audience, people seemed to start to admire the talent of the youth in front of them. "He's good. He's really good."

_The world could die  
__And everything may lie  
__Still you shan't cry.  
_'_Cause time may pass  
__And everything won't last  
__But I'll be by your side  
__Forever by your side..._

The Kougan-anki master closed his eyes as he hit the high notes. The Hokage was dumbstruck. The lad has a good voice. Even Tokiya blinked a few times before finally giving a small smile. "Crap! This guy can really sing!" A man suddenly exclaimed.

_Forever by your side…!_

The audience stopped swaying and listened silently as he hit a higher note.

_So you won't cry…!_

When the music volume dwindled down, the audience roared and applauded, obviously very pleased with Kaoru's performance. The fang boy wished that the girl felt something, even if it's just the slightest bit. 'End of Performace. Exit stage – right.'

Great efforts needed great rewards.

--...--

"Since when had you been able to sing like that?!" Recca exclaimed and directed the question to the embarrassed fang boy as he finally shut the door before any strangers get into their lodge. It looked like the brown haired teen had been able to get a group of fan girls of his own as he was being followed all the way into their flat by girls who had their eyes on him… or on Mikagami. One thing's for sure though, he became a little bit more famous.

Kaoru just smiled sheepishly. He didn't expect for him to win the contest. The prize was a large trophy, an item of his choice at the local souvenir shop, and twenty thousand yen.

"I assume you're gonna be treating us sometime soon?" Fuuko chimed in, sticking out her tongue. She was just kidding of course, but Koganei nodded his head immediately after that.

"Hah! Since you agreed, we won't back out now, are we, guys?" Domon asked, grinning. Everyone nodded. And then it was set.

All of them proceeded to eat dinner. Recca and Domon bid everyone good night after that. Well to put it in their words, they said, "We're gonna prepare for tomorrow's feast by getting our energy back!" And they went to their room, laughing.

After a few minutes, Ganko went ahead and said her good night. She hasn't talked much since the contest. Kaoru looked at her oddly. He didn't know why she was acting that way, and it really bothered him. Was she mad because he changed the song? Didn't she like it? The fang boy sighed.

Looks like there won't be any sweet dreams for the both of them tonight.

--…--

It was already late in the night, but Fuuko decided to take a stroll at the seashore. The beach was really beautiful at night. The sound of the waves hitting the shore were soothing… and the white sands on her feet felt good. It isn't everyday when she get to enjoy sometime alone like this.

She looked ahead of her and saw a familiar figure sitting on the sand. The girl grinned. It wasn't everyday that she'll get to enjoy a time like this, yes… it also isn't everyday when you get to see him look so... carefree? That wasn't really the right term, was it?

She approached him. Silver locks glimmered as the moon's light hit his face. His eyes were closed. She smiled and sat quietly beside him. "It isn't really polite to stare, you know."

She was taken aback and looked away. "Sorry. I was just fascinated, you know," She defended.

He smirked.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not fascinated by your face! You just looked so…" She trailed. She couldn't find the right term to describe it. She looked at the sea as she racked her brain for the right word.

"Vulnerable..?"

She suddenly faced him the moment he uttered the word. "Right! That's it," She agreed, wearing a grin on her face. Fuuko averted her gaze towards the vast sea once again. "So, you're admitting that you actually looked--"

"I love the sea, you know," Mikagami stated before she could finish her own statement.

She chuckled softly. "Not obvious, really, Mi-chan. I like the wind."

"It's not because it's related to water, my element."

She didn't say anything more, but he seemed like he still had something to say. She suppressed a smirk. She decided not to ruin the moment where she get to hear him talk freely.

"It's just soothing… and deep," he mumbled. His face almost looked solemn. His voice wasn't icy. His demeanor seemed different than usual. It was almost as if she was seeing a different Mikagami Tokiya. She blinked.

"Mi-chan..." She called.

He faced her.

"…Are you sick?" She finally added, trying so hard not to smirk and come out as being sarcastic. Tokiya raised an eyebrow. He was starting to regret it that he just started babbling.

"No, no.. Mi-chan. I mean, I was just surprised. That's all. Thanks." She said with a sheepish grin on her face.

He just nodded. Well, he surprised himself too. Why he just started talking was a mystery to him as well. "It seems that the bruise you got yesterday has healed now," Fuuko said, changing the subject, as she touched his lower lip. He backed away slightly as he felt electricity run through his body. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah, it was just a small bruise, anyway."

She chuckled softly at his reaction. "Mi-chan, you're still uncomfortable with human touch, huh?"

He rolled his eyes, but he put on a small smile anyway. "No. Human touch is okay. Monkey touch, on the other hand, can be quite uncomfortable," He stated as he glanced at her at the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah, right. As if it's new to you. It's not like we haven't been holding hands for a few days now," She retorted in a matter-of-factly tone.

"That's different with you touching my face,"He replied with a smirk.

"What? Afraid I might pinch your charming face?" She laughed.

His smirk widened. "So you're admitting now that you find me charming?"

"No. I will if you'll admit that I don't look like a monkey. Come on… I might be tomboyish, but do I really look like a monkey?" She looked at him expectantly. He had the feeling that the question wasn't rhetorical.

Silence.

She pinched his nose suddenly, giggling. "Come on, Mi-chan!"

He struggled to keep her hands away from his face. But Fuuko's not your ordinary girl. Her strength is really different. He sighed. "Alright, alright!"

Fuuko stopped and grinned. "Say it! 'You don't look like a monkey. I had just been too prideful to admit it.'"

"No!"

The young lady posed to pinch his face again.

He sighed. "Okay. Okay. You don't look like a monkey. I had just been too prideful to admit it."

Kirisawa Fuuko sported an annoying winning look on her face. "There." She patted him. "That wasn't so bad, right?"

"Yeah, monkey."

"Meh, you can't change the fact that you admitted already that I do not look like anywhere near a monkey."

"You forced me. Don't be ridiculous."

She just stuck out her tongue. She lied down on the sand. Afterwards, she proceeded to close her eyes.

When he looked at her, it didn't seem bad at all. That he said that she didn't look like a monkey, that is. It was true anyway, he just wouldn't admit it. His ego wouldn't let him admit it. He shook his head. Shifting his gaze to the moon-lit sky, he smirked.

"Kaoru did exceptionally well, don't you think?" His companion asked.

"Yeah. He's quite a singer, actually."

"Hmm.." She mumbled. She paused for a moment to think. Then she grinned. "Sing for me, Mi-chan."

He averted his gaze to look at her. He raised an eyebrow, as if saying, 'Are you insane?'

"I think you're quite a singer too, Mi-chan, from what I've heard," She stated, chuckling softly.

"What do you mean?"

"Some said you actually sang in your class once, as a part of a class activity. Everyone was enticed by your voice, apparently. Your professor back then became a fan of yours too."

He shrugged. Yeah, he remembered that. It was not one of his fondest memories, actually. Every student in the room seemed to want to throw themselves at him after he sang. Thankfully, the bell rang soon after he sang, and he made a run for it.

"Can you please, sing for me then, dear Mi-chan?" She asked again.

"No."

Fuuko pouted. "Kill joy. Please?"

"No, Fuuko."

"Just one chorus of any song, please??" She nagged.

"Why do you even want me to sing?"

Fuuko shifted her body sidewards. "I don't know. I just want to hear you, I guess."

"Not good enough of a reason," he simply answered, shaking his head.

Fuuko gave up and sighed. "Alright, alright. Have you ever sung for anyone? Like Kaoru-kun did?"

He contemplated on it for a second. "Yeah, for Mifuyu-neechan," He finally supplied, his eyes hinted a bit of sadness, and his companion noticed that.

"Oh.. err.. I'm sorry, Tokiya."

Calling him by his first name meant that she was serious about her apology. He just nodded, before adding, "I'm only going to sing for the one I love. It only means I've never sang for anyone other than nee-chan."

She felt a pang of pain somewhere inside her, but she shrugged it off and put on a grin. "Are you trying to console me, Mi-chan?"

Silence.

Fuuko struggled to think of a topic so she could strike a conversation and break the uncomfortable silence that engulfed them. "Errr.." She mumbled. And then she remembered what he said earlier that day. There's really no harm in asking, right? "So… am I right that you never had a girlfriend?"

"Yeah," He immediately answered.

"Oh."

Then it was his turn to ask.

"Do you… like Minami?" He asked hesitantly.

"No, not really," She replied, glancing at him at the corner of her eye.

"I see."

Silence.

"Let's go back to the flat, Mi-chan," She said, sitting back up and tugging on his shirt. "It's really late."

"Yeah, let's." He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up. He let go of her and walked on ahead. Fuuko rolled her eyes. She caught up and grabbed his left hand. She swayed their linked hands. He looked at her oddly. "What?" Fuuko asked, smiling. He suppressed a smile. He didn't really mind her being around him and pestering him… But now his hand and arm was being held and swayed by her, just like what the lovey-dovey couples in the movies do.

The weird thing is, somehow, he still didn't mind.

--…--

Authoress' Notes: How was it? Sorry if there were typos and/or grammatical errors. I'll edit every chapter after I finished the story. :)

c",) Reviews make my day. Flames will be laughed at. Constructive criticisms are always welcome. c",)


	4. Their moments

Authoress' notes: Sorry for the delay of this chapter. If you've read the update section in my profile, you'll know why. And another reason that wasn't written there was the fact that I'm usually out somewhere in Tokyo for the past 3 weeks. So, yeah, been busy, and unlucky. Hehe. Anyway, I had a hard time writing this down. I don't really know why though. :P

Chapter title: Day 4: Their moments

Rating: K+

Warnings: OOC-ness. And again, no one proofread this.

Number of words: 2 925

Spoilers: I don't think there are any...

Disclaimer: I do not own Flame of Recca, otherwise, I'll already be writing a ToFuu Sequel. :P I do own Natsumi Suzuki, though.

* * *

**DAY 4**

Fuuko passed the hallway and proceeded towards her and Ganko's room to call the latter for breakfast at some restaurant at the beach. It was Koganei's treat for all of them. She was about to enter the place but suddenly stopped herself when she heard humming. She leaned her back on the wall, not really wanting to ruin the blonde's moment, but in the process, also hearing Ganko's words.

"He really likes her, huh?" Ganko mumbled softly as she sat straight on her bed. She's feeling a teeny weeny bit jealous about this girl whom Kaoru likes. Why? That, she did not know.

"Come on Ganko, why do you feel like that? So what if he likes another? It should NOT matter to you." The young teen continued, emphasizing the word 'not' firmly.

She paused for a moment, staring blankly at the floor, before finding herself humming to the tune of 214, the song that Koganei sang the night before. Sighing, she stood up and prepared to leave the room.

This had been Fuuko's cue to make herself known. She knocked on the already opened door, catching the other girl's attention. "It's about time to head out, Ganko-chan."

"Okay, I was just about to go down, nee-chan," The girl replied, forcing a smile on her face. That said, the young teen proceeded to go out of the room and through the hallway.

The purple-haired watched as Ganko walked away. Shaking her head and smiling, she too, followed the other's suit.

Such are the pains of puppy love.

--...--

"Dad said that we'll be going in a cave later at sunset." Recca looked at everyone expectantly. Fuuko and Kaoru seemed to be thrilled, Ganko, looking quite scared. Tokiya, as expected, remained silent.

Domon grinned before asking, "I assume I could take Natsumi, right?" Hearts formed in the background, making all the others shake their heads.

"That'll be more fun," the flame caster agreed.

"Alright!"

Aah, another opportunity, another chance in being together.

--...--

Once outside the cave entrance already, they were all in pairs. Because Recca could not be with Yanagi, he was paired with his mom, and Shigeo, with the brown-haired girl, "Ojiji, you better take care of her," Recca whispered to his dad, which made the old man laugh.

"Of course, she's like my daughter already. No worries, I'll take care of your princess," whispered Shigeo back.

"Well, you all have your whistles, right? If ever any of you come across any danger or was lost, just blow that whistle. The man who's managing the place said that there shouldn't be many dangers. With that, you could explore the whole area, whether in a group, or just with your pair," Shigeo said loudly, so they could all hear.

They all nodded and made their way in. Shigeo and Kagerou decided to make a group of four, so Recca and Yanagi won't feel too lonely.

So close, yet so far.

--...--

"Domon-kun, thanks for inviting me here, it should really be a thrill!" Natsumi exclaimed with a small smile, though she felt a bit scared.

"Hehe, that's okay. Shall we?" Domon replied, and offered his arm.

"Thanks, I'm really a bit afraid, to tell you the truth." His companion replied, taking Domon's arm as they started to walk.

They walked in silence, with Domon having a goofy grin on his face. He was growing comfortable with the way their arms were linked to each other. Somehow, he felt like he could get over his silly admiration for Fuuko.

After a few moments Natsumi squealed and hugged Domon's arms tighter. Domon immediately looked around and saw 2 rats running away. The big guy turned to Natsumi with a smile. "Relax, just rats. No biggie."

The red-haired loosened her grip on Domon's biceps and sighed in relief. "Thank God, I thought…" She trailed and just gave out a sweet smile.

--…--

Mikagami held Fuuko's left hand with his right, their fingers were intertwined, as if their hands were meant to hold the other. Somehow, it felt right, and both of them were slowly growing comfortable to the idea.

"Ne, Mi-chan..."

"What is it…?" Tokiya fought the urge to say 'monkey' and just left it at that.

"What do you think of our dare? I mean... what made them decide to give this as our task?" The purple haired stopped on her tracks and looked at him expectantly. She really wanted to know, and thought that it will help if she asked his opinion.

"Hanabishi just comes up with _strange _ideas. There's really no logical explanation other than that," the silver haired bishounen simply said and tugged her hand as if telling her to continue to walk.

"Strange? You don't think this is actually impossible, do you?"

"What is?"

"This... us," Fuuko replied softly, not really planning to let him hear her words. But Mikagami was gifted with such keen senses that he managed to do so. It was his turn to stop walking.

The Ensui Master turned his head and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Fuuko felt heat slowly creep to her face. Thank goodness the cave was dark enough, else, Mikagami would see her red face. But when she didn't answer, Tokiya lifted his flashlight and focused it on her.

"You're blushing," He said nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal to him.

"No, I'm not," denied the girl fervently. "Let's just go and forget what I said. I was merely wondering." With that, she let go of his hand and started to walk, leaving Mikagami, confused.

Maybe he really was a daft person. Had he not noticed that Fuuko was showing something _else_? Yes, Kirisawa, Fuuko, has a crush on Mikagami, Tokiya... on _her_ Mi-chan. Oh wait, was it really just a crush?

Tokiya shrugged, then caught up with her pace and walked beside her. They walked in silence, and neither seemed to want to break it anytime soon. They left it at that until Fuuko came to a stop. She sat down on a rock and sighed. "I'm a little tired. Let's stop for a while... or you could just leave me here."

"Stamina's running low already? Not like you at all," Her companion said with a smirk. Mikagami sat down on a lone rock across Fuuko. He didn't plan to dance in a girl's costume and ruin his very clean image. No, not in this life. The silver-haired bishounen had wanted to ask about what she said earlier, but restrained himself. It was just sooo0oo not him.

"It seems to me that this place is not dangerous at all," the wind-child mumbled. She covered her mouth as she yawned. "No danger, no excitement." Fuuko stretched her hands sideways. Her left hand landed on top of something... scaly. The girl yelped when she heard a hissing sound. Immediately, she stood up and backed away.

"Stop. No more sudden movements. The last thing you would want right now is to be poisoned," Her companion whispered.

"Step back slowly," He added after a few moments.

Since they did not have anything to use if ever the large snake becomes aggressive, (Recca insisted on leaving their Madougos, as it was vacation) they just have to retreat. When they were already quite a distance away, they stopped for a moment, but rocks fell from above them. To dodge all of the pieces, Fuuko moved fastly, but lost her balance along the way, luckily, Tokiya made it in time to catch her.

"So much for no danger," Mikagami said dryly, looking at Fuuko, who was leaning against him. She just smiled sheepishly and stood up straight.

"Well, I loved the adrenaline rush, anyway." The girl stuck her tongue out at him. Surprisingly enough, he gave a small smile. He sure loved that feeling as well. The last time he felt that was when they were in UBS.

Fuuko sure had been surprised by the sudden show of emotion, even if it was just a tiny bit... because it was from someone who barely shows any.

The two of them went towards the cave entrance and proceeded outside. They decided to just wait for the others there as they were already satisfied by the things they experience earlier.

Mikagami sat down on the area near the clear waters, and Fuuko did the same. Silence came upon them, but it wasn't all that awkward. Fuuko knew better than to disrupt the quietness between them, and so, she contented herself by fiddling with her fingers.

Growing comfortable with the idea of being a couple is not actually a comfortable idea, now that they thought about it.

--…--

He glanced at her again, before averting his gaze back to the barely lit path. He released a small sigh as he continued to tread along the cave.

Kagerou looked at her son and felt pity for the young man. She knew that he was having a hard time staying away from Yanagi. It was actually quite a surprise that Recca managed to endure the last few days without the brown haired healer.

Recca's father also felt pity for him. And for Yanagi too. Shigeo knew that the girl can feel Recca's eyes on her, and was trying her hardest to ignore it. He also knew that they wanted to be with each other. It was, after all, a vacation. They should be having fun… together. But it was Recca's idea that caused this, so he really couldn't do anything about it…

Once again, the Hokage leader shot his _hime_ a longing look. Yanagi, on the other hand, never shifted her gaze from the path.

…Or maybe Shigeo could actually do something about it. He leaned a little closer to Kagerou and whispered something. Recca's mom seemed to be reluctant at first, but after giving it some thought, she nodded her head.

Stopping his tracks, Mr. Hanabishi cleared his throat.

"Okay. I'd probably feel really guilty later, but what the heck. I'll give the both of you one minute. You can talk to each other and all that. But just one minute, you hear me?"

Both of the teens stopped suddenly and blinked. It took a few moments before what Shigeo said actually registered in their minds.

"What? Not taking the offer?" Kagerou added after a few moments of not hearing anything from the two people being given the chance.

Finally, a smile appeared in Yanagi's face. Recca's parents smiled back. It was really great to see the girl's face light up again. It seemed like forever since they saw her give a genuine smile, even though only four days had passed.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped the brown haired girl in a tight embrace. Yanagi's eyes widened in surprised, before hugging the younger Hanabishi back. It had only been four days, but they did miss each other so much that it actually hurt. Contented smiles made their way to their faces.

The two adults turned around and took a few steps away to give Recca and Yanagi a bit of privacy. "25 seconds and counting," said the older Hanabishi before sitting down on a rock.

When the young adults finally let go of each other, the raven-haired ninja stated, "Hime… after all this is finished, we'll have fun somewhere else. No more dares."

The girl chuckled softly and nodded her head. "That's a promise, right?"

"Yeah. That's a promise."

A single moment can mean everything. And a single moment was all that they needed.

--…--

"Kaoru-kun, let's go back now." Ganko tugged on her companion's sleeve. The fangboy grinned. He knew that the girl wasn't exactly fond of these places. It scares the hell out of her.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen. Don't you know that I'm this generation's superman?" He joked, making the girl raise her brow.

Kaoru gave her a genuine smile, causing a blush to creep onto his companion's face. "Seriously though, don't worry. I'll…" He faltered, taking a deep breathe.

"…protect you," He whispered softly, turning his head to look at her.

Ganko gulped. A deeper shade of crimson made it to her face. She avoided her companion's gaze and said, "Err, your girl… she won't be too happy if she heard that."

The Kougan-anki master chuckled and turned around. The blonde gave him an inquisitive face. "She doesn't know, remember? I'm sure though, that if she knew, she won't mind," Kaoru started and began to walk.

Ganko's brows furrowed. He was walking towards the opposite direction. The fangboy turned around once again and extended his hand, "If you don't really like it here anymore…" He smiled. "Then let's get going and go outside for a fresh air."

She smiled sweetly. He returned it. They held hands.

--…--

He didn't really know how their positions became like that. It wasn't all that new to him. They had been doing that for a few days now, but did she really need to continue to act even though they were not being watched by anyone?

"Kiri--... Fuuko," Mikagami said firmly but softly. His eyebrow twitched.

Kirisawa Fuuko had her head officially rested on her companion's shoulder, eyes closed. She seemed really comfortable as she didn't move or bulge when Tokiya called her name. Either she was just pretending not to hear him, or... she was already asleep.

The Ensui master sighed and didn't bother to wake her up. He might be cold and all, but he can be still quite the gentleman. And besides, he didn't have the heart to wake a sleeping angel… wait, he meant monkey. Yeah, monkey.

He stayed like that and pondered over things like how it had been for the past four days. He realized that it wasn't all that bad. It was a bit awkward though, having to be attached to someone, but Fuuko had been understanding enough to not make a big hassle about their task.

'She's acting a bit funny though,' He thought, remembering the times when she would blush or suddenly ask intriguing questions. He shrugged. 'Why did I suddenly care anyway?' He frowned and then concluded, 'Must be Hanabishi's influence.'

He looked down and watched her as she rested silently. Fuuko was actually really beautiful, and not to mention, has a nice body to complement it.

"You know, Mi-chan, you once said that it's not really polite to stare."

Mikagami quickly looked away. So she wasn't asleep after all. 'Damn Mikagami Tokiya, you were caught in act.'

Fuuko stirred and looked up, her head never leaving his shoulder, with a grin on her face. "This day is, as a matter of fact, a red-lettered day for me." Her grin faded only to be replaced by a smile.

Tokiya, after regaining his composure, looked at her expectantly, "Why? And you actually don't need to act right now, get your head off my shoulder. It's getting numb."

"See? Because of that," Fuuko answered before lifting her head as he said.

Tokiya raised an eyebrow. He was growing quite confused... what was she talking about?

"You're being more talkative! Hurrah!" She said proudly, giving Tokiya the V-sign. He ignored the comment.

"…and…" She continued.

Stretching his arms backward to support himself, he leaned backward and looked up at the sky, watching the stars twinkle with delight, and the moon brightly shining, guiding the boats in the seas with its light.

Fuuko's smile widened as she saw Mikagami relaxed. "...You're becoming a teeny weeny bit softer."

That made Mikagami face her. He looked at her seriously, searching her eyes for any signs of jests. "Oh yeah?"

Without thinking twice, Fuuko answered 'yes' in a clear and firm voice. It was her turn to look up and watch the starry skies. After a few moments, she closed her eyes. The wind blew gently, swaying her purple locks as it caressed her face softly.

Tokiya smiled inwardly. Maybe she was right, he was becoming, to put it in her words, 'a teeny weeny bit softer.' He shifted his gaze back up and contented himself by just staying quiet and not ruining the moment.

They stayed there for what seemed like eternity, before new voices broke their silent reverie.

"Nii-chan, nee-chan! You're here too!" Ganko blurted out in surprise.

The pair turned their heads to where the voice came from, and sure enough, it was Koganei and Morikawa.

"Err, was it a bad timing? Erm, don't worry, we'll just sit there," Kaoru said, pointing to the space a few feet away from the older two, before scratching his head.

"It's ok. Seemed like you two had already wanted some fresh air too," Fuuko answered. Mikagami just nodded his head in acknowledgement of their presence.

The younger two smiled and sat down on the space distancing themselves a bit from the other pair. They really didn't want to ruin their nee-chan and nii-chan's momentums. Actually, secretly, they wanted the two to get together, as they really complimented each other's personality.

"Ganko, Recca-niichan's dare for the two of them seems like a good thing after all. Although, it really has no meaning to him other than torturing Mikagami-niichan and giving Fuuko-neechan a real challenge," he whispered softly, careful not to let the other pair hear his remarks.

Ganko nodded and grinned. They do look good together.

Like the older pair, Ganko and Koganei just sat down in silence as they waited for the others to come out of the cave.

After a comfortable night, though, a not-so-comfortable day usually follows.

* * *

Authoress' Notes: So..? How was it? No good? Sorry if there were typos and/or grammatical errors. I'll edit every chapter after I finished the story. :)

c",) Reviews make my day. Flames will be laughed at. Constructive criticisms are always welcome. c",)

Shameless Plug: If you're interested, visit the ToFuu Central at -- z8. invisionfree . com /ToFuuCentral (remove the spaces please)


	5. Gone 'kaplooie'

Day started quietly

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay of this chapter. I've been really out of it since college life started. My subjects have been killing me.. sort of. I had a hard time writing this chapter too, for reasons I myself do not know. I don't even think this chapter's good. So, let me apologize in advance if this doesn't satisfy you. I tried my best, really. 

Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter title: Day 5: Gone 'kaplooie'

Rating: K+

Warnings: OOC-ness. And again, no one proofread this.

Number of words: 3 207

Spoilers: I don't think there are any...

* * *

Day started quietly. No one bothered to say anything during breakfast. It was really a shock for both Kagerou and Shigeo (who was used to seeing the group, except Tokiya, of course, being talkative and loud even in the mornings). They haven't even finished their food; they were really, really out of it.

They also refused to go to swimming, which is what they usually do after breakfast. They went to different areas. All of them wanted their momentums. Indeed, this was a new sight for the flame caster's mom and dad.

Time passed slowly and painfully for the Hokage. Each minute was protracted. At that point, they even came to a conclusion that it wasn't really their idea of a good vacation. All of them seemed to do a lot of thinking for the past few days, and with each day, it aggravated. Today wasn't an exception.

Morning became afternoon, and the Hokage opted to take their lunch separately... if ever they actually took it.

Headaches were taking over.

--

It was esoteric, his situation, that is. Mikagami Tokiya was facing something new. He was making himself believe that this was just all a dare... easy, enough? No! Why should he make himself believe when ab initio, it should already have been established to be a given? 'What have you gotten herself into now, Tokiya Mikagami?'

_Tee Hee... my little brother has a crush..._

'Onee-chan..?' He thought as his head shot up. Right in front of his very eyes, a brown-haired, gentle-faced girl with wings appeared.

_La da da da... he has a crush on her... or is it love?_

"Crush? Love? What are you talking about? Who's _her_?" He asked. Was it really his sister? Or had he gone insane? What is her sister playing at?

_The 'her' who has a nice-built body... The 'her' who has deep blue eyes..._

Mikagami frowned. That moment, he started to have doubts about his decision to avenge his sister's death. Her sister, even if it was just her voice, was now haunting him... and she was giving him more headaches.

_The 'her' who you always call 'monkey'... even though you had actually admitted to yourself that she doesn't actually look like one._

Ugh. "Nee-chan..." He called. Something in his face twitched badly... his left eyebrow was doing an up and down movement, a sign that he was starting to get _really_ annoyed.

_The 'her' whose initials are 'F.K.'... And of course, who could forget? Dum, dum, dum, dum... The 'her' who has purple hair!_

Someone didn't have to be the smartest person in the world to figure out who she was talking about. 'Kirisawa, Fuuko...' He absent-mindedly thought. He looked down and stared at space.

_Ding! You got that right! I would have loved to spread some confetti but it's out of stock up there..._

"What? You're a mind reader now?" His voice was soft, careful not to let anyone hear him in case someone was out there.

Maybe it was just him, but he thought he saw his sister smile at him before disappearing. He frowned and had grown more puzzled and confused... confuzzled, maybe?

"What, what? And who's a mind reader, Mikagami?" Opening the fridge and taking two cans of soda, Recca then proceeded to the chair in the counter beside Mikagami. He handed the Ensui master a can and opened his own.

"It's none of your business," said the silver-haired bishounen.

Recca laughed which made Mikagami's frown deeper. "Thought you'd say that. But you know what?" The flame caster paused to take a sip of his soda.

"You seemed a little deranged today. It's as if, hey dude, no offense here," He hesitated, but Mikagami gestured him to continue.

"It's as if you're getting too stressed out because of too much thinking. Not that you don't always do a lot of thinking but..." He stopped and just shook his head.

"Look who's talking," Tokiya mumbled. Recca looked haggard himself. Tokiya proceeded to take a gulp of his soda. He finally answered, "I get it."

Recca just nodded and emptied the contents of the can. "You know, it'll help to let that out. I'm not really very good at this, but hey, I'm a man too." The flame caster put down the can and looked at him.

Mikagami was surprised. It's not everyday that you'll see the leader of the Hokage become serious. He didn't know if Recca actually had the capacity to be like that, or if that was only the effect of being away from Yanagi for a few days. For once, Tokiya respected him and his words.

"Hey, there you are Recca-niichan! Mikagami-niichan, he hasn't been doing anything strange, has he?" Kaoru asked, entering the room.

"No."

"Good then. He had been drinking at the bar with Domon since eight in the morning. He's drunk… and that man over there, is drunk as well," he said, pointing at Recca and Domon.

Okay, maybe he spoke too soon. He thought the man was serious. He was taking it back. Of course, Recca was just wasted. But for a drunken man, Recca sure has control, unlike the other one who was sitting near the entrance to the kitchen, leaning his body on the wall, mumbling incoherent things.

Recca frowned. "I'm not drunk! I just had two bottles!" The flame caster denied fervently. But he really seemed sober.

Then, Domon talked. "You know... I'm feeling something deeper for Natsumi-san, but I don't know how to express it."

All 3 heads turned to his direction. The flame caster and the Kougan-anki wielder both sighed. They also have their own love problems.

"I really miss hime. It's not the same... she's there, but I can't be with her. That hurts a lot more. You know, she's near, yet she's so far. Like Jack and Rose..." Recca said nonchalantly, like he was already used to saying those words. It seemed like the beer was slowly taking its toll on the man. He slowly bent down and leaned his arms and head on the kitchen counter, as if he was going to sleep.

Kaoru handed each of the two alcohol-influenced men, a cup of coffee, saying that it will help the two of them in getting sober. "But, it's not really the best coffee, so don't expect that it will taste good."

Koganei took a soda from the fridge then sat down on a chair near them. "It's not only the two of you that are having problems, me too. I know that you guys already know who the girl is, so I won't hold back in telling you. Problem is, I don't really know how to tell her."

"Speaking of Ganko, why isn't she with you? It's her task to follow you around." The flame caster shifted his gaze to the youngest lad with a frown on his face.

"Asleep... so I can't really be with her right now... unless you wanted me to be punched and accused of being a pervert because I stayed in her room."

Opening the can, he chuckled bitterly, before sighing and looking down. Recca and Domon were listening intently and before heaving a sigh as well. "How about you Mikagami, you have a problem too, right?," Domon pressed as he looked up with an expectant look.

Tokiya shifted uncomfortably at his seat. He didn't really want to tell them, but it seemed unfair that they were opening up while he was bottling it all. "I'm not really sure what I feel about someone. It's something new," He simply said.

The three others exchanged looks before looking back at Mikagami. "Heigh-ho! Looks like the famous Hokage lads were destined to have a stinking love life!" Recca said a little loudly, before laughing.

And so the men's talk carried on.

--

Fuuko wandered aimlessly along the shores. Yes, it was not pellucid, not the slightest bit. It was difficult for her to comprehend why she was feeling _that _way towards _him_, when it was clear that he didn't feel the same.

Her head hanged low. She trudged along the sandy path, kicking it from time to time. Why did she even bother thinking about it? It was only giving her headaches... and not to mention, heartaches as well.

Heaving a sigh of disappointment and pain, she looked up and saw a familiar light brown-haired girl. It was a new sight, since she was already used to the idea of Recca being always with her during these times. She forced a smile and walked towards the area where the lone figure of her friend sat.

"Hey, Yanagi-chan!" Fuuko said with a forced grin.

Yanagi looked up from where she sat. She wanted to smile, but just made do with a nod. She repeated to herself over and over again, the dare. The healer knew that something worse would be given to her as a task if she would fail and she had no plans of doing anything more than that.

Sensing the discomfort Yanagi felt, Fuuko sat down beside her. "It's hard, isn't it? Doing something that you don't want to do, that is."

Her companion looked at her and nodded, her face, blank. She then proceeded to look at the vast sea in front of her. Fuuko put up a small smile before averting her gaze to the scenery before her too.

"You're getting good at being Mi-cha--..." She trailed before clearing her throat. "Mikagami-like, you know," She continued.

This caught the other girl's attention. It wasn't the thought in the sentence, that made her curious, but the fact that Fuuko hesitated in calling Tokiya, 'Mi-chan'.

"Why?"

"Huh? Why? I just observed that—"

"No, I mean, why didn't you call him by the nickname you've given him? You... hesitated," Yanagi interrupted, silently hoping that she would not seem so nosy and eager to know. 'Mikagami can talk like this too, right?' The healer thought.

"Oh... that," Fuuko said dryly. She ran a hand through her purple locks and looked ahead. The sun was almost setting.

"Nothing really... it was sort of... I don't know. I just didn't feel like it, I guess," Fuuko finally answered. There was some truth in her answer anyway. Half of her really wasn't sure why, and the other half, well...

"Oh, well, it's none of my business really. Sorry." Yanagi said. Man, what she was doing was not easy. She wanted to comfort her friend. She knew she was feeling down too, for reasons unbeknownst to her.

"You're really strong, Yanagi-chan. You're keeping up with the façade. I know you must be feeling miserable, but you're still not giving up," the wind child replied as she massaged her temples.

The brown-haired girl was taken aback. Yanagi and strong? Those were the words she thought that could never be in the same sentence. If ever they were, it would usually include the a word used for negation, like 'not', perhaps. She blinked three times before shaking her head. "I'm not. You are, Fuuko-chan."

Yanagi paused, before realizing that she just said, 'Fuuko-chan'. Now that was not something Mikagami would say, or any other person in the likes of him.

Fuuko noticed this and said, "It'll be a secret." She stuck her tongue out before chuckling. "Pray though that Kagerou-san won't find out," She added in an afterthought.

The Sakoshita girl sighed. She could only hope. "I'm tired. I can't help it..." The girl whispered softly as she fidgeted. Oh well... "So.. what's wrong, Kirisawa" Yanagi looked at her as she asked this, concentrating hard. Well, if she can't do it in a nice way, then at least, she'll just ask what's wrong in a not-so-nice way.

"What? Nothing's wrong," Fuuko denied nonchalantly. Her companion knew better, though. Yanagi was sure that something had gone, 'kaplooie'. "You're not fooling me."

The purple-haired girl sighed in defeat. Yanagi knew that she wasn't in her greatest dispositions. So, she took a deep breath, before letting it all out.

She just confessed.

--

Dinnertime had not been as quiet as breakfast. They seemed to be improving, in terms of going back to their old selves... albeit very slowly. They talked mostly about anything that would come to their minds, although there would still be the deafening silence that would engulf all of them from time to time. Recca desperately tried to strike up a conversation when this happens, but most of the time, only Koganei, Domon, and Ganko would reply.

Shigeo leaned over Kagerou and whispered, "What in heaven's name is happening?"

Kagerou put down her chopsticks and sighed. "I don't really know... but it certainly is getting awkward here. But at least, it's better than what we had in breakfast."

"Mikagami, can you pass that plate of tempura here?" Recca asked, reaching his hand out as Tokiya quietly handed him the plate of shrimps, his face was void of any expression.

Domon and Kaoru exchanged looks. They merely shrugged as they remembered what they talked about earlier. That wasn't something they would talk about everyday... and in such a serious way too.

Fuuko just concentrated on eating. She would occasionally talk if asked, but never really indulged on the meek conversation. Her face was blank. She wasn't annoyed at the quietness of the surroundings, but she wasn't entirely happy about it too.

Watching the 'semi-silent movie' in front of her, Yanagi finished her food. She didn't stand up; instead, she just sat quietly there, waiting for the others to finish too. Coldness was not an excuse for not having manners, after all.

Ganko was confused about what was actually happening. She spent most of the day in their room, sleeping her problems away. The situation during breakfast was odd enough, but dinnertime had been weirder. She didn't think that it would last the whole day. The girl thought that upon waking up, warm smiles and loud laughter would welcome her. What happened was the exact opposite.

'Boy... what the hell is wrong with these people?!' Shigeo thought in exasperation. He settled his empty bowl and chopsticks down a little loudly before standing up. He proceeded to put the used utensils on the sink.

Soon after, Kagerou did the same.

They just stared blankly at the older people's actions. That triggered it.

'That's it!' Kagerou sharply turned around and eyed them one by one.

"Tomorrow night, 7:00 PM, at the bar. That will be our last night here. Be there. It's nothing big, but wear your best casuals." She said firmly. It was like she demanded them actually. There wasn't anything to it, but she wanted to make sure that this vacation doesn't end badly for everyone.

One by one the dining area was emptied.

--

"Kirisawa..." She heard a familiar voice said as she neared the hammock. Her eyes widened. She thought no one would come to this place other than her. She brushed the leaves that blocked her view aside and saw light blue orbs staring at her.

"Mi-Mikagami..."

Tokiya tore his gaze from her and looked up. He lied on the hammock comfortably before closing his eyes. He contemplated as to why she called him by his real name. Somehow, he missed the nickname she used to call him.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I thought—"

"I could move. There's still space." He looked at her blankly.

The thought of them together on a hammock brought warm and fuzzy feelings to her. She just nodded and proceeded to walk towards him. As she was ascending, he moved to his side to give her space. They were _still_ a couple, right? So, no biggie, right?

As she settled down, a flush on her face appeared. She just realized that he was half bare-chested at the moment... and she was so close to him! His fan girls would sell their souls just to have this moment with him. Ha, too bad for them!

She stirred, but this movement jerked the hammock. Tokiya quickly wrapped his arms around her and shifted his weight in an attempt to balance it. Well, he succeeded.

It took Fuuko a few seconds for the happenings to be registered in her mind. Mikagami, the obnoxious jerk that she used to always bug, now had his arms around her! She blinked three times and looked up at him.

Mikagami was giving her a funny look. Her face must've looked like it would explode sometime soon because of the excessive heat that crept on her head. The moon that was shining brightly didn't help. It made her face sooo visible.

Tokiya shrugged and withdrew his arms slowly, afraid that the hammock might fail them. "You're blushing... again," said the silver-haired bishounen dryly. He smirked inwardly and looked up, waiting for a retort or something.

"Thanks, captain obvious," she said, trying hard not to stutter.

"Why?"

Fuuko blinked. He was asking her why she was blushing? Had he not noticed why? What a nincompoop! And there she thought it had been obvious already! 'Because of you, darn it,' She thought. Had she been not sane enough, she would have said that aloud.

"I don't know. Heat likes my face, I guess," the wind child said casually and rolled her eyes. She was soooo going to punch him after all this. What she was doing was not easy.

Tokiya took a side glance at her before heaving a sigh. He was trying to have a decent conversation here, damn it. He did ask properly, right? Why give him such answer? He massaged his temples trying to keep his cool. On a second thought, he guessed it wasn't all too good either to ask that question.

Seeing his gestures, she could tell that he was serious when he asked the question. "O-kay. I really don't know, Tokiya."

Tokiya? He wasn't used to being called Mikagami by her, let alone being called by his first name. What's up with her? "You don't need to repeat your answer. I understand."

The purple-haired looked up. His voice didn't have the cold and icy feel in it. His eyes were surprisingly soft too. She cleared her throat and racked her brain for a reply. Unfortunately, the word "failure" appeared in big, bold letters. Sighing, she just held his hand on her and gave it a soft squeeze.

Mikagami turned his head to look at her. She just smiled at him and before looking up, gazing at the star filled skies. "Beautiful..."

Glancing at her one more time, he followed her line of vision. He smirked and said, "Very."

They stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, until Tokiya looked at his watch. "It's almost midnight, Kiri—" He stopped as he saw that her eyes were already closed. Her face was buried on his chest. He smiled before attempting to descend from the hammock. It jerked and he fell on the ground.

This sudden movement awakened Fuuko. She was about to open her eyes but restrained, as a pair of strong arms gently circled around her lifting her up. Yes. Mikagami Tokiya was carrying her in his arms, wedding style. Take that you giggly and swooning fan girls!

Pretending can sometimes do you good.

* * *

Authoress' Notes: So..? How was it? No good? Sorry if there were typos and/or grammatical errors. I'll edit every chapter after I finished the story. :)

c",) Reviews make my day. Flames will be laughed at. Constructive criticisms are always welcome. c",)


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